


In the end, we're all made of flesh and blood

by the-eagle-of-masyaf (Dunkelherz)



Series: There's Always A First [2]
Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Bonding, Canon, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-03
Updated: 2014-02-03
Packaged: 2018-01-11 02:18:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1167451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dunkelherz/pseuds/the-eagle-of-masyaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.</p><p>- Charles Wadsworth</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the end, we're all made of flesh and blood

“Father!” He could hear his son's cry before he could even see him and for a tiny moment Altair wondered when he wasn't able to see Darim, then how was Darim supposed to see him? But if it was one thing Altair had learned during all those six years Darim has been on this world, then that his son was very good at knowing things he wasn't supposed to know – it was as if the boy had his eyes and ears everywhere.

A second later he could see him running down the big stairs leading towards the garden, the shadows already large and deep since the sun had settled low at horizon, almost swallowed by the mountains now. Altair stopped, watched how Darim took two stairs at a time and practically jumped down. He held up his hand and Darim stopped on one leg, almost falling over and looked at his father with wide eyes, then swallowed and simply walked down the stairs. Altair nodded, satisfied and crossed his arms in front of his chest, waiting with the sound of small feet shuffling through dry grass until his son stopped right in front of him, head tilted all the way back. “You were gone all day.”

“I am a busy man Darim”, he answered but it didn't made the little scowl on Darim's face vanish. If anything, the look on Darim's face only got more sour. “Mother was gone all day long too.”

“That's right”, Altair hummed and nodded, his arms slowly falling down to his sides. “She was with me.” Now it was Darim's turn to cross his thin arms in front of his small chest. “And Malik was also gone”, he pouted, his bottom lip pushed out. It almost surprised Altair Darim hadn't known – usually, he knew everything. 

“I know”, Altair said with small amusement swinging inside his voice. “He was with me and your mother.” 

“What were you doing?”, his little one demanded to know and the little pout on his face melted.

“Grown up stuff”, Altair simply said and Darim tilted his head to one side as if he was debating inside his head if the answer was satisfying him or not... it was. “Will you play with me?”, he asked and held his arms up, clenching and unclenching his hands to signalize he wanted to get picked up but Altair was aching all over and Darim got too heavy so he simply ignored the gesture and instead took one of the boy's hands. “No...”, he said slowly and saw out of the corner of his eye how Darim's lips parted for a protest. “Remember what I've told you?” He watched satisfied how Darim's mouth closed, his brow wrinkled as he tried to remember. “What?”, he asked eventually.

Altair chuckled lightly, stepping into the big shadows of Masyaf's castle. “A sleepy assassin is a dead assassin.”

“Yes!”, Darim nodded with a wide grin.

He pulled the arm holding Darim up so his son lost the ground underneath his feet and hoisted him up the first two sets of stairs, making the little man squeal with joy. “So it means you go to bed now.”

“But I don't want to...” There it was again, that little pout which would always remind him of Maria and how she looked when he did something she didn't agree with. 

“I know”, Altair simply said, not stopping when Darim stopped but pulling him with him. “And you have every right to feel so but I'm still your father and you do as I tell you.”

He didn't look but felt how Darim tried to get his hand free and out of his grip but if anything, Altair only tightened it and didn't stop when Darim tried to dug his heels into the ground to make him stop. As much as he loved his son, as much as Darim was a great boy, he was still a child and children weren't always pleasing – especially not when they didn't want to go to bed. 

“I don't wanna!”, Darim said loudly now, stomping his little foot on the floor. Altair actually stopped, Darim standing behind him and still trying to get his hand out of Altair's. He turned slightly around, one single eyebrow arched. “You disobey my word little man?”, Altair asked calmly and yes, Darim's face got red now and he saw the tears building. There was only one thing he could do now. 

He didn't let go of the boy's hand because he knew Darim would use his chance and try to run away from him and Altair simply didn't tolerate such behavior. He went down on one knee so he was on eye level with his son. “There are more than sixty men living in this castle and they all obey my word – tell me one good reason Darim, why you of all of them, shouldn't listen to me.” He cocked his head to one side, his eyes roaming over Darim's face. “Go on – if it's a good enough of a reason I might let you stay up longer.”

But Darim was only six and while he was a clever little man, he couldn't really answer Altair's question and his father could see how it worked inside his head. Then, when he realized he couldn't name Altair a reason the angry expression melted on his face and he looked rather helpless. “I don't know”, he muttered eventually. “I'm your son”, he muttered and looked onto his feet, kicking against a small stone lying there. 

“So?” Altair's eyebrows were arched and when he didn't say anything else, Darim looked up at him. “Does it make you better than any of my men here?” Darim didn't say anything. “It doesn't Darim”, he gently told him, placing one hand on the boy's shoulder. He sighed heavily and got up again. Honestly, he didn't think he was a great of a father but he tried his best it just... He just wasn't good at these things, telling his son he loved him. He always hoped Darim knew, but to be honest Maria was the one of them who did all the cuddles while in public but he reserved this right for when they were alone, away from the prying eyes of his Brothers. He simply didn't like showing affection when kneeling in the middle of a hall, sharing an already private moment with his son when guards were standing not a dozen meters behind them. 

“Come on now”, he said his voice louder again. 

Darim didn't move right away but eventually Altair could hear his feet shuffling, then small steps followed his big ones and he took the stairs after he walked through the great entry hall, walking all the way up until he reached the wing he and Maria had claimed their home after they'd found out Maria was pregnant. They weren't the only ones living there, there was also Malik's room as well as a few ones for his and Maria's guard although Altair didn't think he needed protection but it made him sleep better at nights. 

Darim still wasn't happy, he could tell that from the silence that greeted him from behind. Darim liked to chatter along, telling him every single bit of his day Altair had missed but today was different and Altair had known that from the first look Darim had given him once he'd arrived back at Masyaf. He couldn't be mad at the boy. He was busy, almost every day and the moments he could spent with his son were rare, the moments he could spent with his wife even more and sometimes, like today, all Altair really wanted to do was to break out of the routine, throw away the heavy burden he was carrying on his shoulder. On those days like today he didn't tell any of his men were he was or for how long he was gone. It could be a few hours or just the morning but today he'd been all day long and Darim didn't appreciate one bit. He was only a man... even he needed his break. 

“Was Rauf satisfied with your progress?”, he asked eventually as they'd reached the last of the stairs and rounded the corner to the long hall at which end Darim's room was waiting for him, only a few doors next to his and Maria's. 

“Yes”, his son said in a clipped voice and Altair looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow arched. “Yes?”, Altair asked and pulled at Darim's arm so he had to move faster or else Altair would drag him along, then yelped with surprise as Altair pulled him up and lifted him on his arms, carrying him. “Just yes?”, he pondered with a smile on his lips. Darim put his arms around his neck, face buried in his shoulder. “He taught me another letter today”, he said although his voice was muffled and Altair could barely understand him. 

“And how many makes that in total you know now?”, he asked with honest curiosity and saw how Darim held up one small hand. “Five?”, Altair pondered – that didn't seem right.

“No!”, Darim cried, pulling his face away from Altair's shoulder, opening and closing his fist once more. 

“Oh”, Altair said and tried hard to keep down his grin. “Ten then”, and Darim nodded satisfied. 

“He also told me a story”, Darim explained as they past the two men guarding his room, two of the men Altair had fought with so many years ago against Al-mualim, two of the very few he trusted enough to let them this close to his son while wearing weapons. He let go of Darim with one arm and opened the door, kicked it shut with his foot behind him. The tray with the empty plates on the small table next to the window told him somebody had already made sure Darim had gotten his dinner. “You should tell it to me tomorrow”, Altair said and put him down on his bed, sitting right next to him.

“I could tell it to you now”, Darim said excited and looked up at Altair with big eyes.

He chuckled and run his gloved hand through the boy's hair. “Not now. Now you're getting ready for bed like the good boy you are and come to your mother and me once you're ready.” He saw the hint of another hissy fit crossing Darim's face but he held up one finger and put it against his son's lips, “You will tell it to me tomorrow so we can see if you've listened to Rauf well enough and still remember everything he has told you.”

Darim slowly started to smile, realizing Altair had just told him an important lesson about the Order only with different words. “I remember everything Rauf told me, you will see”, he said excited and nodded wildly. 

“Good”, his father chuckled. “I have no doubt about that.” He got up to cross the small room.

“Father?” He stopped, his hand already touching the door handle. “You really going to hear my story tomorrow?”

Altair smiled, his eyes set on his fingers. “Yes”, he promised and with that got out of Darim's room and into the hall.


End file.
